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Rival Frankfurt Galaxy in town for battle for standings, bragging rights

April 30, 2003 - National Football League Europa (NFLE)
Rhein Fire News Release


Gelsenkirchen, Germany — In a game known for its historical bitterness, the Frankfurt Galaxy (3-1) are in town to take on the Rhein Fire (2-2) in a game with major implications for the World Bowl.

"There is one major rivalry in this league and it is Rhein-Frankfurt," said head coach Pete Kuharchek. "In our league this game is like Pittsburgh-Cleveland or Notre Dame-Southern Cal. Our fans want bragging rights for the entire season."

The Fire are looking to bounce back from a difficult 11-3 loss at Barcelona this weekend. Despite outgaining the Dragons in virtually every category, three turnovers proved to be the crucial difference in the game.

Frankfurt is coming off their first loss of the season, a 20-16 loss at Amsterdam. The winner of Saturday night's game will be in, at worst, a tie for second place and at best, the sole holder of first place.

"This game is always physical but this year I expect it to be more so," Kuharchek said. "With the game meaning so much in the standings it is going to be a huge game in our stadium."

Coach Kuharchek is 6-0 against the Galaxy and as he started the same year as Frankfurt coach Doug Graber, Graber is winless against the Fire. Last year Rhein defeated Frankfurt 24-20 in Dusseldorf and 3-0 in Frankfurt as the games combined to draw 100,000 fans.

The Fire travel to Amsterdam next week for a Saturday night battle on May 10th.

GAME INFORMATION

ANNOUNCERS
Brian Sexton — play-by-play
Andre Reed — color analyst

TV
USA: FOX SPORTS NET (1:00 pm Eastern)

STADIUM ADDRESS
Arena AufSchalke
Gelsenkirchen. Germany

HEAD COACHES

Rhein Fire:
Pete Kuharchek
14-10 overall, 6-0 vs. FRA

Frankfurt Galaxy:
Doug Graber
12-12 overall, 0-6 vs. Rhein

Arena AufSchalke a modern marvel

The Rhein Fire will be the first American football team to play at the Arena AufSchalke, the home stadium of the FC Schalke 04. Created in August 2001 at the cost of $180 million, the Arena AufSchalke is one of the loudest and certainly most advanced stadiums in Europe. The multi-functional stadium has a capacity of 61,800 seats with views close to the action. Arena AufSchalke hosts soccer, football, opera, rock concerts and biathalons, among other events. Schalke 04 has never played for less than capacity at its new home.

Arena AufSchalke is perhaps the most state-of-the-art stadium in all of Europe and more advanced than most NFL arenas in America. The true grass playing field at AufShalke is portable, rolling in and out of the stadium to be manicured. Moving the field takes six hours and costs $15,000 a time. The Arena also has a retractable roof which takes 20 minutes to open and/or close. Other features include a chapel inside the stadium and many luxury boxes for businesses.

The arena forms the new heart of the "Schalker of field" in the north Gelsenkirchens between the quarters Erle, Buer and Schalke. The arena is located close to the metropolitan railway line 302 with connection to the Gelsenkirchener main station as well as for the motor traffic over the exits Gelsenkirchen Buer at A 2 and Gelsenkirchen Schalke at A 42.

History of the Fire

Team History:

Established in 1995, the Fire posted a disappointing 4-6 record in their inaugural season. In 1997, the Fire played in World Bowl '97, losing at the Barcelona Dragons, 24-38. The Fire have been in the World Bowl four times in their first eight years of existence, winning a title in 1998 and 2000.

Team Name:

The Rhein Fire is named for the Northrhein-Westphalia region of Germany and the mammoth 820-mile Rhein River that forms Germany's southwest boundary. The team used to play its home games in Düsseldorf, capital of Northrhein-Westphalia, and now hosts games in Gelsenkirchen, a 40-minute drive North of Düsseldorf. City/Region:

A conglomerate of 24 cities forms the Rhein-Ruhr region of Germany. Situated on the western fringe of Germany, the densely populated region covers 200 kilometers. The largest cities surrounding Düsseldorf (population 577,250, the capital of Northrhein-Westphalia since 1946), are Duisburg (537,000) and Essen (626,000) to the North, Wuppertal (384,000) to the East, Cologne (1,000,000) and Bonn (294,000) to the South. Düsseldorf's airport serves 11.5 million passengers annually and reaches 150 destinations worldwide. The World Team Tennis Cup in Düsseldorf's Rochus Club and the ice hockey games of the "Düsseldorf EG" are highlights of the city's sports scene.

Head coach Pete Kuharchek Coach Pete Kuharchek enters his third season as head coach after leading the Fire to a 7-3 mark in 2002 and a World Bowl appearance. Coach Kuharchek was promoted to head coach in 2000 after five seasons as Fire defensive coordinator and helped Rhein to a record four straight winning seasons in that time as well as boasting one of the League's stingiest defenses.

Under Kuharchek, the Fire's defense ranked number one overall in NFL Europe in 1999. Against the run, they have been number one on three occasions (1996, 1998, 1999) and topped the ratings against the pass in 1999.

As a player, Kuharchek started at linebacker for two years at George Washington University and a further two years at the University of Tampa. He also began his coaching career at the University of Tampa, serving as linebackers coach in 1970, and was recently named to Tampa's sports Hall of Fame. From 1972-75, Kuharchek was defensive coordinator at Tampa Catholic High School before returning to the college ranks as a defensive assistant at the University of Kentucky in 1976. He served for two years as defensive coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire before stints at Holy Cross (defensive assistant) and East Tennessee State University (defensive coordinator).

His first venture into pro football came in the USFL, where he served as linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Bandits from 1983-85. He was defensive coordinator at Memphis State University from 1986-89 and spent a year with the Canadian Football League's British Columbia Lions and then the University of Texas-El Paso.

In 1992, his first season in the NFL Europe League, Kuharchek helped the Orlando Thunder gain a place in World Bowl, where they were beaten by the Sacramento Surge.

From 1993-95 he retuend to UTEP as defensive coordinator before teaming up with Galen Hall and the Fire in 1996. Kuharchek won World Bowl rings with the Fire in 1998 and 2000.

Depth at skill positions lead Fire offense

The Rhein Fire offense is led by a tandem of talented quarterbacks including Nick Rolovich (Denver Broncos) and Chris Greisen. Rolovich got the starting nod during the first three Fire games after a successful training camp. Greisen also will split time, playing in the second and fourth quarters. Both quarterbacks combined for 95 yards passing in Week One, 195 versus Berlin, 159 against Scotland and 140 at Barcelona.

Lining up in the Fire backfield this season are four multi-faceted running backs. Starting is NFL veteran Autry Denson (Detroit Lions) who offers a scat-back mentality and sure hands. Denson is averaging over 100 yards a game this season after recording 112 yards against the Dragons. Louisville product Frank Moreau backs up Denson and qualifies as a power runner through the offensive line and he has proved to be a valuable contributor to Rhein's offense, rushing for 96 yards two weeks ago against Scotland. Matt Stanley (San Francisco 49ers) is a natural fullback but in the single-back offense of the Fire, he has multiple jobs as a running back, goal line back and occasional tight end.

With a facet of tall and quick wide receivers, this group of wideouts is Rhein's most talented corps in years. Leading the way are Emmett Johnson (Seattle Seahawks), Kendall Newson (Miami Dolphins) and Charlie Adams (Denver Broncos) for the three-wide Rhein set. With injuries to Johnson and Newson, Adams has taken control and has gone over 100 yards combined in the last two games with two scores and over 10 grabs. LaVell Boyd (Houston Texans), capable of playing multiple receiver spots, started for the first time on Saturday and recorded three catches. German national Christopher Liess plays behind Johnson. Tight end will also is a strong suit for Rhein, boasting NFL talent in Chad Mustard (Cleveland Browns) and Dwayne Blakley (Kansas City Chiefs).

Rhein's offensive line is led with tackles Dwayne Ledford and German national Patrick Venzke. Guards Pat Crummey (New York Giants) and Jim Jones (Baltimore Ravens) will start against Frankfurt and the line will be centered by Illinois product Luke Butkus (San Diego Chargers). Scot Osborne, Dustin Keith (Dallas Cowboys) and German national Peter Heyer provide depth.

Veteran line, active linebackers highlight Rhein defense

Defensive coordinator Ed O'Neil leads the historically strong Rhein Fire defense. The defensive line has two bookends in Andre Arnold and Corey Callens, a Fire veteran. Callens and Arnold both have contributed as Callens has two sacks in 2003 and Arnold has one. The run-stopping tandem of Brad Harris (New York Giants) and Josh McKibben (Tampa Bay Bucs) will help anchor the line and McKibben starred against Berlin with three sacks and two forced fumbles. Providing depth are two former Fire members in DE Derrick Ham (two sacks against Amsterdam) and German national Bastian Lano (sack versus Berlin) along with Swedish national Dan Petersson. Defensive end Jesse Warren also has seen significant time since being signed as a free agent.

Rhein's linebacking corps may be the strongest portion of the defense. Top NFL allocation draft pick Courtney Ledyard (New England Patriots) leads the group as the middle linebacker but will be missing in action after suffering a shoulder injury versus the Thunder and was placed on injured reserve. Charles Burton (Arizona Cardinals) and Rhein veteran Jamel Smith play outside, both leading the LB corps with 29 and 28 tackles, respectively. Jay Johnson is starting in Ledyard's place and has responded with 22 tackles. Recent pickup Dane Krager (Seattle Seahawks) will also see significant time as well as newcomer Terrence Dukes.

The secondary is led by cornerbacks Teddy Gaines (Chicago Bears) and Tony Lukins (Oakland Raiders), who has one interception on the year. Safety Greg Brown, a member of the Fire in 2002, and Abdual Howard (Jacksonville Jaguars), who returned a 93-yard interception for a touchdown against the Claymores, play safety and providing depth in the secondary are corners Adesola Badon (Carolina Panthers) and Tierre Sams (Cincinnati Bengals) as well as German national Richard Yancy and Lemual Ligon, who had a sack and interception versus Berlin, (San Diego Chargers) at safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Autry Denson is the primary returner for punts and is joined by Kendall Newson for kickoffs and occasionally punts as well. Tony Lukins and Adesola Badon may also see time as returners in 2003.

Punting for Rhein is Jay Taylor (Cleveland Browns) and kicks are handled by Todd France (Minnesota Vikings) and former German soccer star Ingo Anderbrugge, who made a 23-yarder versus Amsterdam and is 7-8 on PATs in 2003.



National Football League Europa Stories from April 30, 2003


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